Just what is HEX Superette anyway?

Half of this hybrid in Mid-Govans fits the traditional definition of the second half of its name, which means a small supermarket. Customers can buy locally grown produce and made-in-Maryland goods like stationery and soap. Beer, wine, spirits, and sauces line the
shelves, along with plenty of jars of sauerkraut.

Which brings us to the first part of that name. In the back of the building, HEX Ferments makes kraut, kimchi, and kombucha. For years, owners Shane and Meaghan Carpenter had longed for a building of their own where they could both produce and sell their food and drink, as well as offer a place for people to relax and enjoy them on site. (Leading the fermented food craze, they sold their jarred products at Belvedere Square Market for years before closing during the pandemic. Their fermented products are still for sale at the JFX and Waverly farmers’ markets.)

Last year, they opened HEX Superette. A bar anchors the tasting room, which has one of the most unique drink menus in the city. The cleverly named Timm’s Cup is a mixture of spiced floral liqueur, sparking wine, lemon, and HEX’s turmeric tonic kombucha. The more traditionally named Whiskey No. 1 is a rye-based drink with rosemary oxymel and HEX’s ginger kombucha. Both are refreshing takes on classic cocktails—with a twist.

“Kombucha has natural carbonation, which is a by-product of the ferment,” Shane says of the tea drink that is often hailed for its health benefits. “Most of the bubbly drinks you’re drinking in the world have been force-carbonated by a CO2 tank hooked up to some pressurized vessel to create that bubble. It’s a lot bigger, more acidic bubble than what you find in kombucha.”

The cocktail list stems from years of experimentation by the Carpenters and the tasting room staff. In addition to the mixed drinks, there are mocktails, wines, housemade sodas, and a few beers available, including Year of the Peach, HEX’s collaboration with Peabody Heights. (At only 2.5 ABV, it tastes more like a cider—a delicious one—than a beer.)

Snacks, salads, soups, and a few sandwiches emerge from the kitchen. Every dish includes something fermented because, as Shane puts it, “We want to participate in the full spectrum of fermented delights.”

Despite how all of this might sound, there’s nothing pretentious about the Carpenters’ methods. “We’re not using tweezers or foams, it’s very approachable food that’s extremely nutrient-dense,” Meaghan says.

The vibe in the tasting room is casual. Music plays as customers shuffle in past the 10-seat bar, grab a basket, and shop at the attached superette. In fact, one of the best ways to enjoy a drink here is while browsing the store. There you’ll find ground beef from Liberty Delight Farms, duck eggs, produce, a book on wild fermentation, plant-based hair products—you get the idea. And of course,
jars and bottles of HEX Ferments products, all of which are available to taste at the bar for free.

What is HEX Superette? It’s a place we’ll return to soon

LIVE

The neighborhoods that make up Govans boast a wide range of housing, from traditional rowhomes in Winston-Govans to Victorian and Craftsman houses in Radnor-Winston, and more spacious, luxurious properties in Homeland.

SHOP

The vendors at Govans Farmers’ Market (June-September, Wednesdays 3-6 p.m.) sell locally grown produce and handmade crafts; for secondhand gems visit Illicit Rag Vintage and Wise Penny.

ARTS/CULTURE

Catch a movie at the historic Senator Theatre and tour artist Landry Randriamandroso’s B’more Birds murals along York Road.

PLAY

Get outside and stroll along Chinquapin Run Park or head to the playground, ballfields, basketball courts, or rec center at Dewees Park.

DINE

A dozen options (from ramen and Thai to pizza and lobster rolls) at Belvedere Square; on York Road, try Nailah’s Kitchen, Heritage Smokehouse, Noir, Full Tilt Brewing, Zen West, and Real Deal Jamaican.

“I bought my house in 2005. In this area, you have a little bit of living in the city, with a county feel. I made quick friends with my neighbors—and one of the funniest things I can remember is I didn’t cut my grass right way, and my neighbor said, ‘Hey, do you need a lawnmower?’

What makes living here great is the diversity. We have so much to learn from each other to make the community better and stronger. We have a diverse group of individuals here—masons, doctors, professors, lawyers, civil workers for the city. In a small radius, you can walk down York Road and address basic fundamental needs like health, food, gas, mechanical, salons, barber shops, and spiritual worship. If you want it, it’s there. And if it’s not there, we’re gonna put it there.”

–Christopher Forrest, president of the York Road Partnership, lives in Winston-Govans, one of about a half-dozen widely varying communities that make up greater Govans.

NEIGHBORHOOD STATS

Median household income: $32,674, Winston-Govans; $49,958, Radnor-Winston; $77,813, Belvedere
Estimated rent: $1,045, Richnor Springs; $1,430, Mid-Govans; $2,510, Homeland
Share of residents graduated college: 3 percent, Winston-Govans; 23 percent Rosebank; 31 percent Radnor-Winston

Sources: Live Baltimore and Baltimore Department of Planning

When George Marsh, the former head chef and butcher at Parts & Labor, decided to open a restaurant, a barbecue joint seemed like the natural choice. Marsh remembers that when he smoked the meat outside the now-closed Remington restaurant, passersby would frequently call out to him from their cars. “People were constantly yelling out of their windows, ‘When is the barbecue going to be ready?’” says Marsh. “People respond to the smell of smoke. There’s just something about it—they can’t help themselves.”

Where’s there’s smoke, there’s barbecue. And, in this case, it’s coming from Heritage Smokehouse. On a November evening, my dining companions and I followed the smell of smoke to the restaurant that glows in Govans like a beacon along York Road.

Heritage feels very much like a Baltimore version of a classic barbecue joint, which is to say charmingly quirky. Marsh, a midcentury modern fan, modeled it after his own 1950s Lake Walker basement. With walls and booths fashioned from knotty pine and various pieces of taxidermy and photos of musicians (James Brown to Madonna to Dolly Parton) on the walls, the décor channels a Wes Anderson vibe.

And the tiki-forward drinks menu makes the whole experience—from eating with your hands to umbrellas poking out of the drinks—feel festive and eclectic.

Diners place their order at the bar and a runner brings the food to the table. We settled on the Ron Swanson (a nod to the carnivore-loving, “You had me at Meat Tornado” character on Parks and Recreation), and a sort of greatest hits of Heritage—pork spareribs, Käsekrainer, chicken leg and thigh, pork belly, and trout.

Within no time, the heaping platter of protein arrived. As we taste-tested our way through the goods, dipping each one into a variety of sauces, from molasses to mayo-based Alabama White Lightening, we debated the merits of our favorite. Was it the delicate and flavorful smoked trout with a dollop of sour-cream-potato dill sauce? The snappy Käsekrainer Austrian sausage flecked with chunks of cheddar and accompanied by a dab of stone-ground mustard for dipping? Or the butter-tender ribs slathered with a rub of mustard, coriander, cumin, fennel, and other spices, featuring a proper “smoke ring” under the bark of the meat? (We agreed to disagree, but each of us had our favorite.)

We also ordered several sides, including collard greens and smoky green chili pinto beans, but it was the mac-and-cheese, with its oversized elbow noodles, plus a honey dinner roll, which was delivered to our table by accident, that stole the sides show.

Barbecue boss Marsh—who came up with the name “Heritage” to avoid limiting himself to one style of barbecue, be it Texas or Tennessee—is at the top of his craft here. The meats are smoked out back in one of three smokers (ironically, toward the back of the building and adjacent to a dispensary—“they don’t care about all the smoke,” cracks Marsh). Most of the meat is cooked low and slow to allow the smoke to infuse and permeate the meat.

To avoid disappointment, check the menu, updated daily, before you go. In addition to smoked platters, there are composed plates such as stuffed cabbage, chicken and sausage gumbo, and perogies. Plans are in the works to soon smoke heirloom vegetables and seafood, as well.

The signature must-have brisket is available Thursday through Sunday and sometimes sells out online before the place even opens. At a time when good service can be hard to come by, our order arrived impressively fast, and we never felt abandoned at our table.

Several times, various Smokehouse staffers checked in to see how we liked everything (to use the word love would not be hyperbolic here), to find out if we wanted another round of drinks (we did), and to ask if we desired dessert (we didn’t but changed our minds when our charming server, Sheila, suggested a heavenly old-fashioned banana pudding made by Marsh’s wife, Jen).

After several hours, filled to the gills, we disappeared into the night, still glowing from the aftermath of our meal.

“Even my belch tasted good,” I cracked. “My husband will love this,” said my friend, her Ron Swanson leftovers in tow. “I got home and enjoyed a good flossing,” our other dining companion remarked later. “Another sign of a solid barbecue joint.”

From Graffiti Alley in Station North to Billie Holliday in Fells Point, Baltimore has a long and impressive history of embracing street art. Later this fall, the north Baltimore neighborhood Govans will get a new piece of work, though unlike most street art, this mural will be indoors, inside Full Tilt Brewing’s new taproom in the Accelerator Space.

The mural’s creators, Brad Turner and Derrick Noel, are a pair of talented Wilmington, Delaware-based artists. Full Tilt co-owner Nick Fertig met Turner at a beer festival in Perryville, immediately fell in love with his work, and knew his style would be a good fit for the taproom.

Though Turner often works alone, he realized quickly that this project would be a good opportunity to collaborate with his friend. Turner’s style meshes elements of street art with his fine arts background; Noel’s works are typically freehand, graffiti-style creations.

“Nick wanted something memorable with a huge wow factor,” Turner says. “The idea was that Hops the Cat—their main mascot—would reclaim the wall over and over again. Hops is a cartoon-style mascot: a cat that shoots green beams of hops out of its eyes.”

The wall, lacquered with both spray paint and regular house paint, is full of bright colors and chaotic imagery. The artists’ vision involved creating something that could be found “out in the wild,” Turner says. It would be a layered creation of paint, lettering, and texture that looks organic and authentic, not like a contrived work of art.

To achieve this, the pair started with elements of the Full Tilt brand, including a huge rendition of Hops the Cat that stretches the height of the wall. The Full Tilt imagery is augmented with layers of paint and paper: graffiti-style lettering, the Ravens’ and Orioles’ logos and bits of wallpaper that are a nod to the layers of posters often found on the sides of urban buildings.

“The cool part about this wall is that it incorporates all the disciplines of urban art,” says Turner. Urban art typically encompasses four specific techniques: stenciling, a character, wheatpaste postering, and piecing, or the creation of a graffiti “masterpiece” of letters.

Turner’s contribution focuses on the posters and stenciling, which he describes as “process-oriented” and connected to his fine art roots. Noel picked up the graffiti and character creation, lending his technical expertise and loose style to the project.

“Brad works more on the design and layout,” says Noel. “My work is more illustrative and freehand. So, we’re using two entirely different approaches coming together and it’s so cool.”

The artists’ process is one that evolves. Before putting anything on the walls, they developed sketches of what the final product might become and worked with the Full Tilt team to refine those concepts. Even after work on the wall began, the concept continued to change. “The sketches aren’t exactly what the wall’s going to look like,” says Noel.

Like the sketches, though, the final product will be colorful and engaging, signaling that the brewery is a welcoming place to hang out. The Full Tilt owners confirm that it will be open by the end of 2018.

“We want to be part of the neighborhood and do cool local stuff and get to know our neighbors,” says Full Tilt co-owner Nick Fertig. The mural is just one part of the design geared towards fun: the space also includes games like shuffleboard, Skee-Ball and Golden Tee, and garage-style doors across the front of the brewery that, in good weather, will open to the sidewalk.

Turner and Noel have both worked on brewery murals in Delaware and here in Baltimore, Full Tilt isn’t the only brewery embracing the power of an artsy wall. Black Flag Brewing’s sudsy Star Wars mural gives fans extra reason to visit the Columbia taproom and the bright colors of Union Collective’s geometric outdoor mural have already starred in many an Instagram story.

“I wanted a big mural even before we found the building,” says Union co-owner Jon Zerivitz. “I wanted our brewery and beer garden to feature a large scale piece of local art for all to enjoy.”

At Full Tilt, the goals of the artists—and owners—are similar. “We went about it with a public art sensibility,” says Turner. “It’s obtainable for everybody.”

The city’s very first food incubator, B-More Kitchen, is now up to a whopping 26 members working to start up food businesses inside its Govans space. From brick-oven pies from Well Crafted Pizza to crunchy granola from Woot and everything in between, chefs are always working inside the 24-hour, state-of-the-art kitchen.

Co-founded by Eben Altmann and Jonathan Fishman, the concept targets businesses in the true startup phase, with owners who want to the local food community.

“It’s great for these entrepreneurs to come into our facility and be working alongside 20-plus other businesses and entrepreneurs who are trying to do similar things,” Altmann says. “We have businesses who will work together to do an event, or use each other’s products. Being able to plug into the larger community here is great.”

We decided to check in with B-More Kitchen to find out a little more about the newest startups to join the roster.

Divine Donuts
Husband–and–wife duo Jeff and Emily Arenberg, both members of the local vegan community, will be frying up hand-cut, small batch vegan donuts. They’ll have classic flavors like chocolate glazed and powdered, as well as more gourmet creations like S’mores and The Elvis (a banana creme filled donut with a peanut butter glaze, and topped with coconut “bacon”). 

“It’s not about what they have in them, it’s what they don’t have—they simply don’t have eggs, and they don’t have animal milk. There’s no vegetables!” says Emily. Gourmet donuts have been having a moment, with Instagrammers posting thousands of the doughy creations on their feeds, which Emily simply explains by saying: “It’s the year of the donut.”

Why Baltimore? “I appreciate the Baltimore food scene because it is eclectic,” Emily say.” You can find different ethnic foods and almost anything you want. Baltimore has a very hometown feel about it, even if it’s not your hometown. . . .When someone is working out of B-More kitchen or doing a startup, you know that they’re really putting love and passion into their food.”

Chesapeake Farm to Table
Farmer-owned online store Chesapeake Farm to Table is hoping to go from the wholesale to the home front. Previously, CFT only sold products to restaurants like Towson Tavern, Turnhouse, and Aromes, but now with the food-safe space at B-More Kitchen, the co-op will be able to break down larger quantities of farm fresh items into consumer-friendly sizes. If customers missed a farmers’ market that week, they’ll be able to place their order online, and the next day the farmer will get the pick list and custom harvest every item. 

The co-op features nearly 25 Baltimore area farmers, producing items like edible flowers and micro-greens, and CFT is also responsible for sorting, bagging, and dropping off them items at local pick-up points. (Remington Wine Company and Culinary Architecture in Pigtown, for example.)

Why Baltimore? “Baltimore has always been called ‘Smalltimore’ because it’s like a small-town city,” say Heather Hulsey, CFT’s executive director. “Everybody really cares about their community, and they want to support nearby farmers and chefs.” 

Prep4Success
As a former personal trainer, Jesse Hester knows what it takes to help his clients lose weight, and the biggest obstacle always seemed to be diet. “No matter how well I trained my clients or how specific I made their macronutrients or diet regimen for the day, they would still go for convenience over making their own meals. . . and that just happens to be McDonald’s, and fast food,” he says. 

After making meal plans for family and friends, Hester realized he wanted to turn his passion into a business and help his clients get the results they wanted. He created Prep4Success, a healthy meal delivery service, which brings same day fully-cooked meals right to customers’ doorsteps. The menu includes items like flat-iron steak with sweet potato and asparagus, banana oatmeal pancakes, and even a new line of guilt-free protein ice creams. “I know it’s hard because I watch my clients struggle through it. They work their asses off in the gym but then they get home and those cravings hit them, especially late at night,” says Hester. “Every hour you spend in the gym is worth 10 times more if you’re feeding your body the right nutrients.”

Why Baltimore? “I grew up here my whole life and the city made me who I am and I would love to give it back,” Hester says. “This is my home. It started right here in my house here with my family, friends, and gym.” 

K&B Whole Body Solutions
When that Chinese take-out craving hits, reach out to dynamic sister duo Brittany Adams and Kendra Adams-Winston. The pair founded K&B Whole Body Solutions, a healthy ready-to-eat meal delivery service that specializes in Asian flavors and American classics. Their most popular dishes include coconut curry shrimp, sweet Thai chili chicken, and citrus herb thighs. “It feels like we are really growing our business; we treat the kitchen like our own,” says Kendra. The sisters eventually want to expand to parts of Baltimore City that are considered food deserts, and provide healthy meals for people who don’t have access to supermarkets.

Why Baltimore? “I’m born and raised in Baltimore and I’m living proof that these meals work,” Brittany says. “I’ve lost 50 pounds on them.”

Mohammed Agbodjogbe, 45, could be a poster child for the American Dream. After immigrating to America from Senegal in 1999, he got his first job working at the KFC on New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring. Today, the real-estate developer is the proud proprietor of Nailah’s Kitchen in Govans, which claims to be the first fine-dining restaurant to bring the bold flavors of Senegal to the Baltimore area. In the 112-seat dining room, the white tablecloths bestow a simple elegance. There are also artistic touches like a massive lighting fixture made of traditional wooden bowls and a collage of spoons and forks.

Our waitress asks if we are familiar with Senegalese food, as she hands us a slickly produced binder containing photos of the dishes. When we admit that we’re not, she explains that Senegalese food favors stewy, one-pot dishes served with rice or couscous along with the all-important sauces, redolent of onions, garlic, ginger, and Dijon mustard—an influence of French colonization.

She recommends the thiebou djeun—pronounced “cee-boo jen”—($25), Senegal’s national dish of fish stuffed with garlic, parsley, and dried peppers, and slow-cooked with rice and vegetables in a tomato-based stock. Nailah’s version features a hunk of red snapper served on a bed of broken rice with cabbage, carrot, and yucca. The richness of the dish is cut by the acidity of a spicy, sweet sauce made with a special Senegalese seasoning blend called adja. We also order mechoui ($30), a marinated lamb shank served with couscous and sauce sap, the mustard-based condiment that doubles as Senegalese ketchup—but the meat is a bit dry. The pintade braise ($15), a whole grilled guinea fowl, tastes like roast chicken, and, once again, is greatly elevated by the sauce—this time sauce vert, a green variety that gets its color from parsley. We also make quick work of an appetizer called fataya ($5)—small empanadas stuffed with spiced tilapia.

Since the restaurant doesn’t serve alcohol, we washed it down with bissap ($10), a combination of tart sorrel (hibiscus) and pineapple juice, which, though a bit sweet, complements the bold flavors. Thiakary ($10), a combination of sweet milled couscous, yogurt, orange, and raisins, provides the perfect ending to the meal.

›› Nailah’s Kitchen 5722 York Road, 443-461-5600. Hours: Tue.-Sun. 4-11 p.m. dine in, noon-11 p.m. carryout; closed Mon. Appetizers: $5-7; entrees: $9.99-40; desserts: $5.